This invention relates to a method and apparatus for automatically analyzing parametric performance and fault related data from a machine, specifically from a railroad locomotive.
Cost efficient operation of a railroad requires minimization of line-of-road failures and locomotive down time. Failure of a major locomotive subsystem can cause serious damage, costly repairs, and significant operational delays. A locomotive break-down while in service is an especially costly event, requiring the dispatch of a replacement locomotive to pull the train consist and possibly rendering a track segment out of service until the train is moved. As a result, the health of the locomotive engine and its constituent subsystems is of significant concern.
Heretofore, there has been no automatic or systematic mechanism for the diagnosis of locomotive faults or for the identification of incipient problems. Instead, conventionally, the railroad has relied on regular inspections and the observation of performance anomalies by the locomotive operator. Some cursory inspection processes are accomplished while the locomotive is in service; more thorough inspections require the locomotive to be taken out of service for several days. In any case, locomotive down time, whether for inspection or repair, represents a significant railroad cost. The avoidance of these costs by accurate fault diagnosis and prediction of potential failures represents an important cost saving opportunity for the railroads.
The prior art solutions to these problems focus on the engineering design process with an objective of increasing the mean time between failure for locomotive subsystems and components. While this is certainly a commendable objective, it remains for the railroads to continue their cost containment goals through the collection and monitoring of real time performance data and fault related information directly from the locomotive, and the implementation of repairs before the problem requires significant down time.